A fingerprint for honey: 120 jars from the world's oldest bee sanctuary pass the purity test

Kangaroo Island, off South Australia, has protected its Ligurian bees since 1885 — the world's oldest bee sanctuary, and still free of the varroa mite devastating hives elsewhere. Now its honey has a chemical fingerprint. Researchers from the University of Western Australia and Y-Trace analysed 120 honey samples collected between 2014 and 2026 and identified 13 distinct honey types from the island's native plants — every main type meeting the international honey standard, a result that helps prove authenticity in a market plagued by adulterated honey. The newest find is a narrow-leaf mallee honey, first appearing in samples this year, with notably high antibacterial activity. Twelve years of jars, read like a diary of what the island's bees have been visiting.

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